


Wine and Friendship

by ladyarcherfan3



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Felicity and Sara friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 10:17:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3116417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyarcherfan3/pseuds/ladyarcherfan3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Oliver pushes her away, Felicity calls the one person who she felt she could talk to and who would understand. Sara answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wine and Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> AU for The Calm, as Sara does not die. Because I can't let Sara and her friendship with Felicity go.

_“I told you as soon as we talked it would be over.”_

Felicity staggered a little as she went through her apartment door and shut it behind her with more force than necessary. She kicked off her shoes, letting them fly across the room, before grimacing and collecting them to put away properly. Her emotions continued to ebb and flow through hot and cold as she changed into her pajamas and then collapsed onto her bed, only to get up a moment later and pace back into the kitchen and living room, too upset to sit still. 

She didn’t want to let herself stew and rage and be upset. Oliver had made his decision, and she had made hers. That was that. She was an adult. They would just go back to status quo, back to friends and vigilante partners…

Except they could never quite go back. The door to something more had been opened, and that couldn’t be changed. They had teased around it for months, hinting at the feelings, allowing the locks around their hearts and feelings to be opened. And it wasn’t going to be like either of them would forget that, no matter how tight they sealed up those feeling again. 

“Oh forget it,” she said suddenly, and veered towards the freezer to grab a pint of mint and chip. Then she hesitated for a moment before nodding, decision made. With the other hand, she popped open the fridge and fished out a half empty bottle of red wine. There was no point in bothering with a glass. 

Already digging into the ice cream, she plopped down on her couch, started up Netflix and just let the noise fill the silence around her and drown out the thoughts spinning in her head. 

It didn’t quite work. Everything that had happened in the last – good grief, had it been a day? – roared through every reasonable thought and drowned them. She had to get them out and just move past it. 

Before she was quite conscious of it, her phone was in her hand, thumb scrolling through her contacts. She paused again. Who was she going to call and talk to about this? Between work at QC and with Team Arrow, her social life had been basically destroyed over the last few years, and it really hadn’t bothered her, considering how little time she had for herself anyway, and what would she talk to people about? And she hadn’t been interested in creating new friendships at her Tech Hut job, just wanting to make it through each day. The only people she could talk about her and Oliver and all the frustration that bubbled inside her were on Team Arrow. Digg was out, the man was going to be far too busy with Lyla and the baby. Roy did not really seem like the type who would want to talk about feelings over ice cream. Sara was…

Felicity’s thumb flicked and tapped. Sara had been out of the country with Nyssa and the League, but she had heard her over the comms when Oliver had faced Vertigo. There was a chance.

The phone rang long enough that she thought it might click over to voice mail; she took a swig of the wine when a worried voice answered. _“Felicity?”_

She choked as the wine and ice cream clashed on her taste buds and in her haste to answer. “Oh! Sara! I wasn’t sure you’d be there. I mean, I knew you were in Starling, because I heard you on the comms tonight, not because I pinged your phone because only stalkers do that… but I wasn’t sure how long you’d be here, and I wasn’t sure how busy you’d be, but I thought I’d call and see if you had time to talk…” 

Sara chuckled. _“I just got done visiting with Laurel, and work is at a standstill right now, so I’m free. What’s up?”_

Felicity paused and swallowed down the taste of mint, wine and what felt like the edge of tears. “I… I need to talk to someone. A girl someone, because I realized tonight that basically all my friends in my life right now are guys, and they are either an idiot who I cannot even look at right now, busy with a baby or just not someone I could talk to, so I was hoping you could come over and help destroy a pint of ice cream and multiple bottles of wine with me while I babble and possibly cry…” she felt the hint of tears that she didn’t want to allow and shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “Please?” she managed after she swallowed. 

_“What’s your address again?”_ was all Sara asked.

Less than fifteen minutes and most of the wine later, Felicity’s phone buzzed with a text. 

_I’m outside your bedroom window._

She scrambled up, rushing into her room and flicked the curtains out of the way. A grinning, masked, and wigged Sara suddenly appeared in the shadowed window. 

“Whoa!” Felicity gasped, but she recovered quickly and opened the window. “I don’t know why I am surprised that the first vigilante in my apartment shows up in full gear, at my window.” 

“Sorry,” Sara said as she slithered into the room. “Your place was actually closer than where I am staying right now, so I didn’t see the point of running back and forth.” 

“Just as long as none of my neighbors saw…” 

Sara pulled her mask and wig off. “Please. I was trained by the League of Assassins. No one saw me.”

Felicity frowned. Despite the smiles, Sara’s own demeanor was rather worn and heavy, especially when she mentioned the League. “Is that why you are back in Starling? League business?” 

“Yes. But there isn’t anything I can do about it right now but wait; though I may need you and the rest of the team for help later. So what did you need to talk about?” 

“Do you want to change out of your leathers first? I have spare pajamas somewhere. I mean, if anyone sees you wandering around my apartment, it would look better if you weren’t dressed up like some sort of super hero versus a friend over for a slumber party. And they don’t seem very lounging friendly.” 

Sara smiled, some of the weight lifting from her frame. “I suppose that makes sense. Though aren’t we too old for slumber parties?” 

“No, we just have wine now instead of soda.” She shoved black tank top and a pair of Tweety Bird pajama bottoms at Sara, who took in the pattern of little yellow birds and grinned. 

“Cute.” 

“And comfy,” Felicity added absently as she padded back out of the bedroom and back into the living room. 

By the time Sara was changed, Felicity had another bottle of wine open, glasses filled, and was settled into a corner of the couch finishing off the rather melty pint of ice cream. 

“You have another spoon?” 

“Ah’m a’mos’ done,” Felicity said around a final mouthful. “Wine?” 

Sara grabbed a glass, settled into the opposite corner and looked steadily at Felicity. “So what’s up?” 

The story tumbled out, not quite in order, with breaks for both happy grins and sighs and a few frustrated tears. When Felicity finished, Sara reached across the couch and gave her a soft, one armed hug. For a few seconds, they were both stiff, but then Felicity sighed a little and leaned into the hug. 

“Oliver is an idiot.” 

Felicity snorted, blinking back the last remnants of tears. “That’s not news.”

“True. But he’s reached some sort of new height, considering I just told him, literally right before he talked to you, that people like us, who wear masks, are more than that. That we need people in our lives who don’t wear one.”

She considered the words for a moment, sipping wine, and then asked, “And is that Nyssa for you?” 

“Nyssa, and Laurel and my father,” Sara agreed. “They all know about my mask, but don’t wear one like I do.” She sighed. “And Oliver certainly could have that too, if he wasn’t such an idiotic coward.”

Felicity scowled a little and refilled her wine glass and offered the bottle to Sara. “He tried to push you away too, though, when he was afraid Slade was going to go after you.” 

“Key word is tried,” Sara said with a faint smile. “We needed each other then, and by the time we split up, it was just the right time for us. Though I wish it hadn’t been the way it was, with all the fear and stress with the Mirakuru. But I had hoped that he’d learned his lesson and would stop pushing people who care about him away when he gets scared.” 

“Well, he’s had his chance and I’m not going to wait for him,” Felicity declared. “I am officially deciding to be over being sad about this. Frustration and rage will follow… probably after another bottle of wine.” She got up, and tilted too far for a moment; Sara slid across the sofa with disturbing grace and caught her wrist to help. 

“Felicity Smoak, you are far too good for Oliver. But I agree with the wine.” 

A smile wobbled around Felicity’s lips and lit her eyes at Sara’s words, but she focused on the second part as she got her feet under her and went into the kitchen. “Good, cuz I am going to open another bottle and I don’t want to drink alone.” She pulled a bottle of cheap but satisfactory wine from her fridge and twisted the top off. “So now that my rantings are over, tell me about you. I mean, leave out what you have to about the League of Assassins, I don’t want you to blow your cover or something…” She made a detour to the cupboard and pulled out a bag of pretzel twists and brought them as well. 

“In that case, there isn’t much to tell.” Sara took the pretzels with an apologetic smile as Felicity refilled glasses again. “Nanda Parbat is hot… at pretty much any time of year. The League is the League. Though I can say this: if you ever fancy a trip to Italy, there is a fantastic little village in the Alps that Nyssa and I both loved, so I can get you names and suggestions.” 

“Ooh, Italy,” Felicity sighed. “Where have you all been in the world? Don’t tell me anything other than what a tourist might want to know about the places, though.” 

Several hours passed while trading travel stories; despite all her travels, Sara had been neither to Las Vegas or Massachusetts, so Felicity filled her in on all the exciting bits. The wine and the pretzels disappeared in that time, and Felicity was both sleepy and perhaps just a little drunk; Sara not quite as much. They ended up cuddled on the couch, watching Lilo and Stich, of all things. (It was a Netflix choice by Felicity, spurred by the fact that neither she or Sara had ever been to Hawaii, and because she wanted something cute and fluffy with as little romance as possible). The last part Felicity had any clear recollection of was Nani telling Lilo that her manager was a vampire, and then everything faded into a lovely mush of sleep and warmth.

The next morning arrived rather rudely with the blaring of an alarm. Felicity blinked into a form of coherency, and grabbed her phone by instinct, turning off the offending shrill. It took a few more moments for her to bring the world into focus. She was covered with a light blanket. The TV was off, the wine bottles and glasses moved to the kitchen sink. There was a glass of water on table next to the couch, pinning down a note. Sara was nowhere to be seen. 

Running a hand through her hair, which was something of a mess, she picked up the water and sipped at it as she read the note. 

_Felicity,_

_Have to fly, League business calls. But if you ever need to talk, you know how to get ahold of me. May see you at the Foundry in the next few days, if this case ends up needing less League and more Team Arrow. But once it’s done, we should have a girl’s day. I might invite Laurel if that’s okay. Us ladies in the vigilante business need to stick together!_

_Sara_

Felicity smiled. Then she gasped and scrambled to her feet when she saw the time. There was just enough time for a shower before work, if she took the world's fastest shower. Or did she have any dry shampoo? As she sprinted to the bathroom, the smile returned. There was no doubt in her mind that she could have dealt with the fall out of her and Oliver’s decisions, she had gone through worse in her life. But the fact that she knew a friend like Sara was there made it so much easier to handle.

_Fin._


End file.
